


I Still Need You

by JayTyHeyBye



Series: Please, Hold On [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Falling In Love, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, Panic Attacks, Past Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Temporary Character Death, Thanos (Marvel) Dies, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, this ship has killed me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-06 20:42:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14655819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayTyHeyBye/pseuds/JayTyHeyBye
Summary: When all is said and done, Tony Stark can't help but reminisce about what could have been.





	I Still Need You

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from the song Hold On by Chord Overstreet ;)

Even as Tony stood over Thanos’s lifeless corpse, it didn’t help ease his conscious. Thanks to Nebula – and Strange’s weird ass Cloak, they’d found a way back to Earth. They had met up with Steve, Thor, and the others...they’d formulated a plan that Tony normally would have called Kickass. 

Now, though...Tony just felt empty. 

The Gauntlet lay abandoned and broken on the ground – Tony caught sight of Thor examining it – just like Thanos himself. The purple bastard currently had an Axe embedded in his neck, almost severing his head. Only a little bit of remaining tissue kept the giant lump attached to his body. Normally it would have made Tony feel sick, but now...he couldn’t feel a damn thing. Something was missing. Someone, more specifically, was missing. It made all of this seem pointless, really. 

Hell, what was a life without him in it?

The Cloak, which Tony had nicknamed Levi, hovered cautiously next to him. It was all Tony had left of Strange, and the Cloak appeared to have taken some kind of a liking to him. It nudged the Scientist in the side, and Tony released the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. 

He let his eyes fall shut just as the Cloak wrapped itself around Tony, letting Stark actually wear the thing. Tony wasn’t typically one to feel sentimental, but it kind of felt like a hug. 

After a long day, even for someone like Tony Stark, a hug was appreciated.

 

_He had met Doctor Strange first thing in the morning. He’d heard of the man, of course, years and years ago. A world renowned surgeon. It had been a pity when the guy’s hands went to shit. Once more recently, something in the news...but Tony had shrugged it off. It didn’t involve him and Strange didn’t seem to be a threat, so Stark left him alone._

_When Tony had woken up that morning, he hadn’t expected to be standing in Strange’s fucking lobby, having just been bitch slapped by a sentient cape. Truth be told, the giant red cape kind of made him miss Thor, of all people. According to Bruce, though, Thor had been killed by this Thanos guy. Tony was never going to see the God’s dumb red cape ever again._

_“We swore an oath to protect the Time Stone with our lives.” Strange suddenly stated, eyes narrowing at Tony._

_Tony found himself unable to look for more than a few seconds, his insides churning. There was something about Strange, something about his mere presence that gave Tony a run for his money. He was having trouble coming up with witty remarks. The last person who had this affect on him was...well, they weren’t exactly on speaking terms._

_The idea of Stephen Strange having that type of power over Tony Stark scared the ever loving shit out of him._

_“And I swore off Dairy,” Tony cleared his throat, eyes focused on the ground, “but Ben & Jerry’s named a flavor after me, so...”_

_Strange hung his head a little, huffing out an annoyed breath. It made Tony’s breath hitch._

_“Stark Raving Hazelnuts.”_

_“It’s not bad.” Tony cracked the slightest of smiles, turning his gaze back up to look at Strange. Strange met his gaze, never once faltering._

_“A bit chalky.”_

_Tony had let out the softest laugh, and while he’d never admit it, he could have sworn he saw Strange blush ever so slightly._

 

“Tony?” Steve’s voice cut through Tony’s flashback, and he forced himself to open his eyes. Steve was standing a few feet away, eyes sympathetic.

Tony couldn’t be mad at him anymore. Not after all this time. His anger had shifted into regret, and Tony hated harbouring all that damn guilty. The cloak removed itself from Tony’s shoulders and flew a short distance away, presumably to give the man some space. 

He closed the gap in between them, hesitating only momentarily. Steve looked Tony up and down before extending his hand. A small smile had graced Steve’s face, and Tony couldn’t bring himself to return it. Tony grasped Steve’s hand, giving it a firm shake.

Tony then gave Steve’s hand a gentle tug, dragging the larger man in for a very un-Tony-Like hug. Steve made a soft noise of surprise, but hugged Tony back nonetheless. Tightly, at that.

“It’s good to have you back, Tony.”

“It’s good to be back, Cap. I’m...I’m sorry about Barnes.”

Tony felt Steve’s body tense, and the Captain pulled back from the hug. Pure sorrow lingered in his eyes, and Tony felt his chest constrict.

Even if they weren’t together anymore, Tony still wanted Steve to be happy. Even if their breakup had been the messiest breakup in the history of breakups.

“It just feels like Buck and I can’t catch a break.” Steve attempted to crack a joke, but there was no humour in his voice. Absolutely no happiness. The amount of times Steve had lost Bucky over the last century...Tony didn’t know how Steve was still sane. 

“I get it.”

Steve lifted his head, and Tony finally returned that small smile when their eyes locked.

“Do you?”

Tony swallowed the lump forming in his throat, clapping Steve on the shoulder.

“Yeah, Steve. Unfortunately, I do.”

 

_There had been something about watching Strange getting tortured that lit an angry fire in Tony Stark’s belly. Peter, must to Tony’s absolute horror, was standing by his side. The cloak hovered around, too._

_“See him down there?” Tony gestured to the wizard currently getting poked with magic darts, ignoring the ever so slight shake in his hand. He heard Peter hum out a confirmation to say that, yes, he saw Strange. “He’s in trouble. What’s your plan? Go.”_

_Peter bounced on his feet for a minute, and Tony found himself staring. He couldn’t look at Strange anymore. If he did, the anger could get the best of him. He didn’t want to just zip down there, guns a blazing. They needed a plan. Plus since Peter was there, he might as well put the kid to work._

_Peter turned towards him, waving his hands a little. He’d always been pretty enthusiastic._

_“Um. Okay, okay. Uh...Okay! Did you ever see this really old movie, Aliens?”_

 

_“Any one of them could end your friend’s life in an instant.” Ebony Maw was glaring daggers at Tony but, truth be told, Tony wasn’t even looking at the guy._

_Tony was looking ever so slightly behind him, eyes locked on Strange. He wanted to just run over there and save him, take him back to Earth, out of harms way, and make sure no weird Squidward Aliens would ever hurt him again._

_He couldn’t, though. He had to come up with a witty comment._

_“I gotta tell you, he’s not really my friend. Saving his life is more of a professional courtesy.”_

_If Strange hadn’t been in excruciating pain, Tony was sure the man would have rolled his eyes. Ebony Maw, on the other hand, didn’t seem to get the joke._

_“You’ll save nothing. Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine.”_

_“Yeah,” Tony glanced back at Strange, who appeared to look somewhat confused as to how the hell Tony was going to pull this off. It gave Tony a boost of confidence, “but the kid’s seen more movies.”_

_Once Squidward was gone and they were on autopilot towards wherever the fuck Thanos was, they had some time to just sort of sit around._

_Peter had gone off somewhere on the ship to explore – Tony had warned the kid to stay close, mind you – and Strange was standing in front of the giant window at the head of the ship. Tony was sitting nearby._

_“Do you have something to say, Stark, or do you plan to simply keep staring at me like a lovesick child?”_

_Tony choked on a gulp of air, eyes widening as he stared at Strange’s back. How long had he been staring? Strange hadn’t even turned around, and yet he had known._

_“N-No.” Tony found himself surprised at how shaky his voice had become. He almost sounded scared._

_Strange turned around to look at Stark, confusion evident on his face. Tony spared a glance at the vastness of space that lingered just behind the glass, and his head began to spin. God, why was he the one who always ended up in fucking space? Tony squeezed his eyes shut, hanging his head as he attempted to control himself._

_He couldn’t panic. Not here, not in front of Strange._

_It was the sudden hand on his shoulder that had him startling. Tony’s eyes shot open only to find Doctor Strange crouching in front of him, dipping his head enough that he was directly in Tony’s line of sight. He appeared to be assessing him, looking for any bit of damage._

_Right, Strange was an actual doctor._

_“Stark? Stark, can you hear me?” Strange’s voice had an unfamiliar softness to it, but Tony wasn’t complaining one bit. It was the best sound Tony had ever heard. All Tony could do in response, however, was give Strange a shaky nod._

_His eyes darted back to the giant ass window, and his breathing picked up. God, he was going to die out here._

_Strange placed his hands on either side of Tony’s head, forcing the Billionaire to turn his gaze away from the window. The duo locked eyes again, and Tony felt butterflies come alive in his stomach._

_“Stark, just focus on me, on my voice. Can you take a deep breath for me?” Strange murmured, whilst letting one of his thumbs brush over Tony’s temple. It sent a chill down Tony’s spine. He instinctively leaned his head into Strange’s hands, his eyes falling shut._

_He still had an ever so slight wheeze to his breath and his chest was heaving much too heavily for Strange’s liking, apparently. Strange moved one of his hands in order to grasp Tony’s, placing Stark’s hand against his own chest. Tony could feel Strange’s heartbeat, the rise and fall of his chest...he never wanted to move his hand._

_“Breathe with me, Tony. Just like that. You’re doing great. You won’t...” Strange hesitated. “I won’t let anything hurt you out here.”_

_Tony, once he was able to take an actual breath that didn’t make him feel his lungs were about to collapse, cracked an ever so slight smile. Strange furred his brow._

_“What is it, Stark?”_

_“We...we’re back to...to Stark now, huh?” Tony let out a breathy laugh, and a red tinge dusted over Strange’s cheeks._

_The doctor released his grip on Tony’s hand and adjusted himself, removing his cloak. He placed it around Tony’s shoulders and cleared his throat._

_“If he tries to look back at the window, stop him.” Strange instructed the cloak, who ruffled it’s collar. Tony supposed that must have been a nod._

_Strange let his hand rest back on Tony’s shoulder, just above his collarbone, squeezing it. Tony supposed it was something to try and help him keep calm, but it just made his cheeks darken._

_“I didn’t take you for a collarbone man, Doctor. You seem like more of an ass man.”_

_Strange looked mortified, eyes wide and face flushing a dark red. Off in the distance, Peter cleared his throat. The kid was hanging from the ceiling, eyes darting back and forth between the two men._

_“I just want you two to know that I support your relationship, and-”_

_Strange yanked his hand away from Tony as though he’d been burnt, pure embarrassment on his face. He forced himself to stand, shooting Peter a look intimidating enough that the kid shut up. Strange made his way back over towards the window with his arms folded over his chest. Tony assumed he was pretending like nothing happened._

_Peter detached himself from the ceiling, plopping down on the ground beside Tony. The pair sat side by side, Peter looking off into the distance._

_“Can’t catch a break, Mr. Stark?”_

_“That’s one way to put it, kid.”_

 

Steve and Tony held the other’s gaze momentarily, before Steve’s gaze seemed to wander. Natasha was off in the distance near a very tired looking Bruce, calling Steve’s name. They had to figure out what to do with the gauntlet, after all. Thor had destroyed the Soul Stone to avoid something like this happening again, but that left the other 5 stones. 

The thing that caught Tony’s attention, however, was the very sad looking cloak hovering about 30 feet away. It was standing (floating, technically) on the top of a cliff, overlooking the sunset. Wakanda had beautiful sunsets. Tony made a mental note to stay the night and catch the sunrise. 

The Scientist made his way over, approaching until he stood directly next to the cloak. He said nothing, one of his hands shoved in his pockets. His other hand reached out and took a fistful of the cloak, eyes falling shut as he played with the fabric. It was softer than he ever expected it to be. It smelt of bad cologne, aftershave, and english breakfast tea. It smelt like Stephen. It smelt like home. 

The cloak shuffled awkwardly closer to Tony, who turned his head to look at the clothing. The cloak almost appeared to be pouting. Right. Technically, it was mourning too. It had lost its owner.

Tony gave the chunk he was holding a light squeeze, ignoring the way his vision blurred and his lower lip quivered dangerously.

“It’ll be okay.” He was talking to a damn cloak, who needed some damn reassurance.

“Tony?” Bruce’s voice in the distance was what had Tony angrily swiping the moisture from his eyes, sucking in a sharp breath. When Tony didn’t answer, Bruce raised his voice again. “Tony, we’ve got a situation over here!” 

As Tony turned around, the last thing he expected to see was Thor kneeling on the ground, sobbing like a child, holding a terrified looking, very alive, Loki in his arms. 

 

_“Excuse me, but does your friend often do that?” The bug girl – Mantis, apparently – pointed over at Strange. Tony and Quill had been bickering about Footloose and Flash Gordon, but this was easily more important._

_Strange was hovering in the air, appearing to be in some kind of distress. His head was snapping all over the place and he was making little grunting noises that broke Tony’s heart. Tony was running over in an instant, just in time for Strange to snap out of it._

_He landed on his ass in front of Tony, lurching forward with a strangled gasp. Tony reaching out to catch him was probably the only thing that kept the man from falling._

_“Strange, you alright?” When Strange didn’t answer, Tony scooted himself slightly closer._

_It was only when he saw the tears welling up in Strange’s eyes that Tony found himself grabbing Strange’s hand and holding it tight. He was surprised at how aggressively Strange gripped his hand, like he was afraid Tony would disappear if he let go._

_“You’re back, Stephen. You’re alright.” Tony whispered, watching as Strange gave an ever so slight nod. The man took a few deep breaths, simply focusing on Tony before Peter snapped him out of his trance._

_“Hey? What was that?”_

_Strange cleared his throat, never once letting go of Tony’s hand as he spoke._

_“I-I went forward in time, to view alternate futures, to see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict.” His voice was strained, it sounded like it almost hurt him to speak. Tony let his free hand rest on Strange’s knee. Pride swelled in his chest as he saw Strange’s shoulders sag in relaxation._

_“How many did you see?” Quill looked hesitant. Scared, almost._

_Strange opened and closed his mouth a few times, debating with himself._

_“14,000,605.” He finally mumbled._

_A deafening silence fell over their little group. Tony placed one of his hands on Stephen’s cheek and, despite the look of surprise on Stephen’s eyes, he leaned into the touch willingly._

_“How many did we win?” Tony really truly didn’t want to know, but he needed answers. He had to know._

_Strange met his eyes. Tony brushed his thumb over Strange’s cheekbone._

_“One.”_

_Quill started going off about a plan, dragging Peter and the other Guardians off in order to plot. That left Tony alone with Strange. Tony pushed himself up, turning to follow the group, but it was the tug Strange gave to his hand that had Tony stopping and turning back around._

_Strange’s gaze was focused on their hands, uncertainty on his face. His mouth was pulled together in a straight line and the Wizard seemed lost in thought. Tony crouched back down in front of him, placing his hand back on Strange’s cheek._

_“Talk to me, Strange.” He tried to mimic the tone Strange had used for him when they were on Ebony Maw’s ship, but it wasn’t easy. Tony had never been very good at comforting people._

_Strange’s eyes flickered up to lock with Tony’s, and he reached up to place two trembling hands on Tony’s shoulders. He took a deep breath before curling his fingers into the fabric of Tony’s jacket, tugging him forward, and pressing their lips together in a rather aggressive kiss._

_It didn’t last long enough for Tony to return it, but he felt an explosion of emotions flowing throughout his entire body. His face turned a tomato red and he suddenly felt as though he could walk on fucking water._

_Strange pressed his forehead against Tony’s, still gripping his front for dear life._

_“I hope that makes up for what will have to be done,” he began, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, “and we’re back to Strange, huh?”_

 

As Tony made his way over to the group, he could see the looks of distress on everyone’s faces. Nat had even gone so far as to grab her gun, just incase Loki were to lash out. Bruce just looked outright terrified, though part of him almost appeared to be relieved. 

Thor was gripping Loki around the waist, wailing into the man’s chest. Loki, after feeling around at his throat for a moment, let his eyes dart downwards at his brother. 

“Aren’t you worried a-about your reputation, Brother?” The God of Mischief attempted to tease, but Thor shut him down real fast. 

Thor tightened his grip on Loki, a particularly harsh sob causing his entire body to tremble.

“Pl-Please let th-this be real, Br-Brother.”

Loki seemed stunned. His jaw tightened and Tony could have sworn he saw Loki’s eyes get misty. The younger male wrapped his arms around Thor’s shoulders, his breath shuddering.

“It-its real, Thor. I-I’m here.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Tony could see something beginning to appear. Turning to his left Tony could see a flash of white light, followed by Bucky Barnes laying on his back on the forest floor. His hands instantly began to search his body to check for any signs of ash. 

“Rogers, on your left.” Tony found himself saying, a little louder than he wanted to. Steve seemed to look because Tony heard a sharp inhale, followed by an exasperated,

“Bucky!” 

The Captain bolted over to the soldier on the ground, dropping to his knees beside Bucky. Bucky instantly grabbed ahold of him.

“St-Stevie?”

“It’s me, Buck, I’ve got you. You’re safe.” Steve pulled Bucky into a sitting position, simultaneously peppering the man’s face in kisses. 

“Mr. Stark?” A younger voice from behind him had Tony startling. Stark spun around so damn fast to see a familiar face standing before him. Peter appeared to be panicking, tears in his eyes as he felt over his body frantically. The poor kid looked terrified. As soon as he seemed to notice that Tony was looking at him, Peter released his grip on the floodgates.

The kid rushed forward and threw his arms around Tony’s midsection, shoulders shaking with every quiet sob.

“I-I’m sorry, S-Sir, I-I-”

“Hey, Kid...Underoos, breathe.” Tony was quick to return the hug, one of his hands resting on the back of Peter’s head. Peter’s legs buckled and Tony collapsed down to the forest floor with him, both of them kneeling in the dirt. Peter gripped Tony with all of his strength. “Peter,” Tony finally tried, “you have nothing to be sorry for. You-you did great, buddy. I-I’m so proud of you.”

Peter let out another shuddering sob. Tony tilted Peter’s head up, blinking back his own tears as he wiped away Peter’s. 

“You did so good, Pete. I couldn’t have asked for better backup.” Tony murmured, flashing Peter a smile. Peter, despite his sniffles, smiled back. “I-I love you, Kid. I should have told you sooner. I-I’m sorry.”

Peter hugged the man again, his sobs decreasing until they stopped altogether. Tony held him the entire time. It would be okay, Peter was going to be okay. 

“Now,” Tony pulled back after a moment, “I want you to call May and apologize for putting her through hell. Can you do that for me, Peter?” He pulled an old cell phone from his pocket and handed it over to Peter, who scrambled to open it and dial his Aunt’s number. 

Tony sat by the Kid for the entire phone call, watching the multiple reunions unfolding around him. He caught sight of a woman who had to be Nebula’s sister. She was exactly the way Nebula had described her. Tony felt a small, sad smile tug at the corners of his mouth as he watched Quill charge her. Gamora was being picked up and spun around. When Quill set her down, the pair shared a breathy laugh.

“You should have gone right.”

Gamora began to laugh, her cheeks darkening as Quill was dragged in for a kiss. 

The sight that warmed his heart the most was Wanda. She resurrected and simply stood there, head down. That was until a pair of arms scooped her into a bridal carry. Wanda startled, turning her head sharply to see Vision standing there with the Witch in his arms. Wanda reached up to touch Vision’s forehead, void of any stone. It was almost as if the thing had never been there. 

“It appears,” Vision began with a tired smile, “we have been graced with a bit more time.”

Tony forced himself to look away. It was just making him miss what could have been. Levi had wrapped itself around Peter’s shoulders as a way to comfort the teen. Something, however, had its collar perking up. Tony could see a light coming from deeper within the forest, and apparently so could Levi. The cloak removed itself from Peter’s shoulders and took off, darting through the trees. 

Peter must have ended the phone call, because he was watching Tony like a hawk. Peter nudged him in the arm, a small grin on his face.

“Go catch your break, Mr. Stark. I’ll be okay.”

Tony didn’t need to be told twice. He was on his feet in an instant, following Levi as fast as his legs could carry him. 

God, please let this be real.

 

_Thanos was pointing the glove right at Tony’s fucking face. Tony was half hunched over, the wound in his abdomen making it difficult to sit upright. Thanos didn’t have the Time Stone. That’s all that mattered. Stephen would be safe, the rest of the Universe would be safe._

_“Stop!”_

_Fuck._

_Both Tony and Thanos turned to look at the man who had shouted the command. Stephen was beaten and bloody, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He appeared to be at war with himself. His eyes darted in between Tony and Thanos._

_Tony knew in that instant what Stephen was planning on doing. He tried to shake his head, but Stephen outright ignored him._

_“Spare his life,” Stephen’s voice wavered, “and I will give you the stone.”_

_“No tricks.” Thanos narrowed his eyes at Stephen, who straightened his spine and shook his head._

_Tony attempted to reach out towards him, but the searing pain in his stomach had him huffing out a groan._

_“Stephen, don’t!”_

_Stephen met Tony’s gaze. The younger man held out his hand and the stone flew to him, like a lost puppy who had found its owner. Tony’s heart was beating a mile a minute in his chest. He watched helplessly as the stone floated over to the man they had tried so damn hard to keep it away from. Thanos easily placed the stone into his gauntlet, then disappeared just as Quill attacked._

_As soon as Thanos was gone, Stephen was rushing to Tony’s side. Tony patched himself up (thank GOD for installing this feature in his suit) and allowed Stephen to help sit him up against some rocks. Stephen’s jaw was tight._

_“Why would you do that?” Tony breathed out, gripping the front of Stephen’s robe. Stephen grasped Tony’s hand with a trembling one of his own._

_“We’re in the endgame, now.” Stephen pressed his forehead to Tony’s, his entire body tense with the effort of keeping himself calm._

_They only got a few moments of peace, maybe 5 minutes. Stephen had helped Tony to his feet and they were attempting to come up with a new plan, when Mantis suddenly froze._

_“Something is happening.” In the blink of an eye, she was gone._

_Drax came next, then Quill._

_Peter._

_Tony was panicking. He heard a familiar breath hitch from behind him and when he turned, Stephen was leaning quite heavily against a piece of rubble. His breathing was laboured and there was a hint of discomfort on his face._

_No. No, please no._

_“Tony.” Even when he was about to face death, turning to pure ash, Stephen kept his voice safe and comforting for Tony’s sake. He didn’t deserve it. “There was no other way.”_

_Stephen’s eyes became unfocused, unthinking. The disintegration started at his feet first, it spread quickly over his entire body and before Tony could even process it, Stephen was gone. All that remained was Levi, and a pile of ash._

_Tears welled in Tony’s eyes and a sob bubbled up in his throat. Nebula slumped down on the ground nearby, eyes closed in defeat. Tony wanted to scream._

_So he did._

 

When he finally came to a halt, he was in an open clearing. Trees still surrounded him, but he could see an open space in front of him. He could see what he’d so desperately been hoping for.

Stephen was pushing himself up, leaning against a tree for support. Levi wrapped itself comfortably around Stephen’s shoulders. Stephen let out a breathy laugh as the collar of his cloak nuzzled his cheek. 

Piercing blue eyes met with tearful brown ones, and the biggest smile spread over Stephen’s face.

“You did it.”

“Shut up, Glinda.” Tony breathed out, rushing forward. Stephen moved a few steps forward to meet him halfway, but Tony was crossing the clearing and was tackling him in a hug in an instant.

He hugged Stephen with enough force to knock the sorcerer backwards. Stephen landed on his back with Tony practically straddling the man. Stephen returned the hug, of course.

“Did you really miss me that much, Stark?”

Tony pulled back enough to look Stephen in the eyes, and Stephen’s expression softened at the sadness on the man’s face. Stephen sat himself up, dragging his hands through Tony’s hair. Tony knew it was sweaty and absolutely disgusting, but the feeling of fingers on his scalp was soothing.

“It’s over, Tony. You did it. We’re okay.”

“Do you ever stop talking?”

“That’s coming from you of all people, asshole.”

The duo stared at each other, and Tony was the first to crack. It started out with quiet laughter at first but as soon as Stephen joined in, it grew louder. Tony placed his hands on either side of Stephen’s head, pulling the man forward. He effectively silenced him with a firm kiss. Stephen’s hands came to rest on Tony’s hips, and Tony felt a shudder push through his body. 

It was only when they broke apart for air that Stephen grinned, eyes darting all over Tony’s face to take him in. Tony brushed his thumb over Stephen’s temple.

“What?”

“Guess you finally caught that break, eh?” 

The pair shared a smile and another soft laugh. Tony closed the distance between their lips again, just for a moment.

“Yeah, guess so.”


End file.
